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Chile rubbish Valdivia wife's tale

NELSPRUIT - Chilean team officials stepped in on Friday to knock down fears - sparked by his wife - that playmaker Jorge Valdivia would miss their next World Cup match against Switzerland with a thigh injury.

Published

18 June 2010

A team spokesman said Valdivia's injury was minor and Chile midfielder Rodrigo Millar said he was confident his team mate would recover in time to play in Monday's Group H game in Port Elizabeth.

"What we know is that Jorge took a knock and that's why he didn't finish the match against Honduras," Millar told reporters at Chile's training base near the eastern South African city of Nelspruit.

"Today he's not training normally because he's suffering a little but he is training with the physio and we at least don't think he'll have any problems being ready for the match on Monday."

Rumours that Valdivia would miss the match were set off by his wife who told Chilean state television in Santiago that she had spoken to her husband and he had told her he was unlikely to face the Swiss.

Valdivia limped out of Wednesday's 1-0 defeat of Honduras three minutes before the final whistle.

If he cannot play on Monday, Matias Fernandez is likely to remain in the playmaker's role with Humberto Suazo as striker in front of him.